East Cobb Crime & Fire

Former East Cobb wrestling coach pleads guilty to child molestation

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Ron Gorman, who served as a volunteer coach with the Pope wrestling teams, pleaded guilty in Cobb Superior Court on Tuesday to two counts of child molestation.Ron Gorman, former East Cobb wrestling coach

Gorman, 53, was given a 25-year sentence by Judge Gregory Poole, with 20 to serve without parole, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

Gorman was to have gone on trial after being charged with abusing a 14-year-old boy in Cobb County in 2010, according to prosecutors, who said the victim disclosed the abuse last year to authorities in Monroe County, Pa.

That’s where Gorman had been sentenced to 20-40 years in February for sexually assaulting boys there, including the boy prosecutors said was also victimized in Cobb.

According to the Cobb DA’s office, Gorman was extradited to Cobb to face the charges here and will be returned to Pennsylvania, where he will serve his sentences concurrently.

“This is a prime example of how child predators can work their way into positions of trust and authority, and then turn that trust into a weapon against children,” said Chuck Boring, Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney and head of the Cobb DA’s special victims unit.

Gorman moved to Cobb in 2009 and was a volunteer with Pope Junior Wrestling, which feeds into the highly successful Pope High School program, where he also was a parent volunteer. He also was a coach at Life College in Marietta.

Gorman was arrested at his East Cobb home in March 2017 and eventually was charged by Pennsylvania authorities with a total of 513 counts, including child rape and statutory sexual assault.

His accusers in Pennsylvania claimed Gorman subjected them to frequent and continuous assaults, sometimes on a weekly basis, for several years, including in Georgia.

News reports last March and earlier this year quoted a Cobb woman who became concerned about Gorman in 2011. That’s when she saw a crude, sexually themed Facebook message sent by him to her son, then 12, and a member of the Pope junior wrestling program.

She said she was told by then-Pope principal Rick Beaulieu not to go to law enforcement. Gorman was suspended from any involvement with Pope wrestling for a year, but it was six years later that he was charged.

Boring said in court Tuesday that there are no other charges that Gorman is facing in Cobb. In Pennsylvania, prosecutors heard allegations that Gorman abused minors dating back to the 1980s, but the statue of limitations had run out.

“Hopefully this conclusion gives his victims some sort of closure and justice, whether they have reported his abuse or not,” Boring said.

 

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Update: Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect dies after apparent self-inflicted shooting

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Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect

UPDATED, 4:50 P.M.

Cobb Police spokeswoman Officer Sarah O’Harah said the suspect has died. Police have not released his name.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:30 P.M.

Cobb Police are saying this afternoon that the man suspected of robbing two banks on Sandy Plains Road shot himself when they arrived at a home with a search warrant.

Sgt. Wayne Delk, a Cobb Police spokesman, said the unidentified man was in critical condition at WellStar Kennestone Hospital after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Delk said Cobb Police SWAT officers and Marietta Police arrived at a residence on Wayward Drive in Northeast Cobb shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday to issue the search warrant.

He said the warrant was obtained after detectives were able to identify him based on tips both police agencies received from the public.

Last Friday Marietta Police released the above surveillance photo and asked for the public’s help in finding the suspect of a Halloween robbery at a SunTrust Bank branch at 1840 Sandy Plains Road.

Police believe he’s the same man who held up a Wells Fargo branch at 2687 Sandy Plains Road on June 22.

 

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Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect sought after Halloween heist

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Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect

Police need the public’s help locating a Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect who got away after a holdup on Halloween.

UPDATED, Nov. 20, 2:20 P.M.: Police say the suspect apparently shot himself this morning as they attempted to serve him with a search warrant.

On Friday Marietta Police released surveillance photos of the man they say held up the SunTrust Bank branch at 1840 Sandy Plains Road.

The robbery took place at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, according to police, who said the man handed a teller a note demanding cash and saying he had a gun.

He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

The suspect is described as a slender white male, between six feet and 6-foot-5, with police adding that he bears “unique physical features including birthmarks and his distinct chin structure.”

Police also said the circumstances of this robbery resemble a similar bank robbery at a Wells Fargo Bank at 2687 Sandy Plains Road on June 22.

Anyone with information about the Oct. 31 robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS or Marietta Detective Greene at 770-794-2365.

Call Cobb Police at 770-499-3945 with information about the June robbery.

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Man indicted for East Cobb mother’s murder in August

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Back in August, Xi-Anna Graham, an East Cobb mother of four children, was found strangled to death at her home in the Merritt Road area. A man who lived there with them was arrested for her murder and last week he was indicted by a Cobb Grand Jury.

Christopher Gene Scarboro, 27, faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the third degree. He was arrested for the killing of Xi-anna Graham after what Marietta Police said was on ongoing domestic dispute.

Graham, who was 24, had four children living with her and Scarboro at the home at 697 Bonnie Dell Drive. According to police, at least one of the children was home when Scarboro allegedly choked Graham around the neck with his bare hands, and then threw her onto the ground.

Police said they found Graham’s lifeless body when they made a welfare check early on the morning of Aug. 24.

Scarboro has been held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center since his arrest the same day.

 

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East Cobb teen indicted for death of girl who fell from moving car

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East Cobb teen indicted
Alyssa Prindle never left ICU after falling out of a moving car on Johnson Ferry Road July 5.

An East Cobb teen charged with the death of another teen who fell out of a moving car over the July 4 holiday has been indicted by a Cobb grand jury.

Abigail Cook, 17, is facing charges of vehicular homicide, having a false identification and underage possession of alcohol.

The indictments were handed Nov. 1, according to online documents filed with the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

Cook, whose home address is listed as Wood Thrush Way, was charged shortly after Alyssa Prindle, 18, a recent graduate of Pope High School, was seriously injured in the incident and taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

Cobb Police said Prindle was a backseat passenger in an SUV driven by Cook that was heading north on Johnson Ferry Road near Sewell Mill Road around 2 a.m. on July 5.

According to police, Prindle rolled down a window of a silver 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe and began hanging out of the vehicle while it was in motion, yelling and screaming before she fell out.

Prindle, who was to have been a freshman at Georgia Southern University this fall, was in intensive care at Kennestone until she died on July 27.

The charges against Cook, who bonded out of jail shortly after her arrest, were upgraded to include vehicular homicide. She was indicted by the grand jury for violating her class D drivers license hour restrictions.

 

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Police seeking help in finding East Cobb motel sexual assault suspect

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East Cobb motel sexual assault, Cobb Police

Cobb Police Tuesday released surveillance photos of a man they say is an East Cobb motel sexual assault in an attack that took place nearly a month ago.

The man is accused of attacking a victim on Oct. 7 at the Intown Suites located at 2030 Roswell Road, and police are asking for the public’s help in identifying him.

According to police, the victim and suspect were in contact through a mobile phone application.

Police said just a few minutes after that, the suspect arrived at the victim’s location at the motel. The victim was then allegedly overpowered and sexually assaulted, police said.

Police said the suspect is a black male between 26 and 30 years old. He has a medium to dark complexion and is around 5-foot-10 to six feet in height, weighing between 200-230 pounds.

Police said the suspect was wearing the clothing shown in the photo above, and that he had a full beard short in length. 

Anyone with information regarding asked to call the Cobb Police Crimes Against Persons unit at 770-499-3945

 

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Cobb robbery suspect escapes from WellStar Kennestone Hospital

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Law enforcement agencies in the county are getting out word that a Cobb robbery suspect who was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for medical observation has escaped.Jules Jackson, Cobb robbery suspect escapes

The man has been identified as Jules Jackson, 19, and the photo to the right was also released by Cobb Police and other agencies.

Police said Jackson slipped out of handcuffs and escaped out of a window at the hospital overnight on Friday morning. He was taken to Kennestone as a precaution after swallowing “a potentially dangerous amount” of narcotics before his arrest.

Police said “a large contingent” of officers from Cobb, Marietta and Powder Springs searched the area near the hospital, which was on a temporary lockdown but has since resumed regular operations.

Police also said there were no reported injuries and there is “no immediate cause for concern for the general public.”

Police said that on Thursday, Jackson and David Roberts, 26, were arrested for an armed robbery on Leland Drive, in an apartment complex off Windy Hill Road and near I-75.

Anyone with information about Jackson’s whereabout is asked to call 911 immediately.

 

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Cobb Police active shooter training scheduled for SunTrust Park

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If you’re in the vicinity of SunTrust Park during early November and see a lot of law enforcement presence, there’s a reason for that. There will be Cobb Police active shooter training going on, and they’re sending out word about what you’ll notice: Cobb Police active shooter training

Beginning November 1, 2018 the Cobb County Police Department will be conducting large scale training at SunTrust Park. This training will result in a large number of emergency vehicles and personnel in and around the Park. The training will be conducted November 1 and 2, 2018, and it will continue on November 5 through November 9. Passersby and residents may notice an increased police, fire, and emergency medical services presence in the afternoon hours and late into the evening

We are excited about our partnership with the Atlanta Braves and the opportunity to train in a real-world environment to better prepare our officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel to more effectively respond to and handle all emergencies in Cobb County.

 

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Police to hold East Cobb crime forum in wake of burglaries in Asian, Indian communities

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Police are sending out word that there’s going to be an East Cobb crime forum Thursday night to address a rash of burglaries affecting citizens of Asian and Indian descent.Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person, East Cobb crime forum

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the East Cobb Senior Center (3322 Sandy Plains Road).

Here’s more from Lt. Nathan McCreary, head of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit:

The forum will focus on the increase in burglaries targeting the Asian and Indian community in East Cobb County. All citizens are invited to attend and encouraged to participate. The presentation will include crime stats and methods for all citizens to use to decrease the potential of becoming a victim.

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Nearly two dozen Cobb criminal street gang defendants get long sentences

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The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Friday that 23 people have been sentenced to long prison terms for a range of gang-related criminal offenses in the county in 2015 and 2016.Cobb criminal street gang defendants

In a release, DA’s office spokeswoman Kim Isaza said that members of Get Money Squared, Wildlyfe and 2200, three criminal street gangs with roots in Cobb, pleaded guilty to drive-by shootings, drug offenses, thefts, car break-ins, assault, street-gang terrorism, criminal trespass, disrupting a public school and firearms violations.

One of the crimes tied to the defendants included a car break-in on Manning Road in the East Cobb area in January 2016.

Another case tied to the crime spree, according to prosecutors, was a drug sale at Windy Hill Road and Circle 75 Parkway in May 2016.

Isaza said Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Green handed down sentences ranging from 10 years to 20 years.

She said many of them were given first-offender status, which means that if they complete their custody and probation periods without further incidents, their records will be sealed.

Isaza said the defendants are between 20-27 years old and come from Cobb, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, Atlanta, and Dothan, Ala. The last of the defendants was sentenced last month, she added, and all of them pleaded guilty to racketeering.

Investigating the case were the Cobb Police Anti-Gang Enforcement Unit, Smyrna Police, Marietta Police and Cobb County School District Police.

“Members and associates of these gangs admitted that they sold drugs, broke into dozens of cars to commit thefts and committed acts of violence against people outside the gangs, all to increase their status within the criminal organization and further the gangs’ violent reputations,” said Cobb Senior Assistant District Attorney Jaret Usher, who prosecuted the case, in a statement.

 

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GBI identifies man killed in officer-involved shooting at Walton on the Chattahoochee apartments

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Walton on the Chattahoochee apartments

Early this morning there was an officer-involved shooting at the Walton on the Chattahoochee apartments that resulted in the death of a man Cobb Police say was shooting in the parking lot.

The incident, which took place around 6 a.m., kept Akers Mill Road closed between Cumberland Boulevard and Powers Ferry Road until around 1:30 this afternoon, according to Cobb DOT.

When there’s an officer-involved shooting, the case is turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Late this afternoon the GBI said the man who was killed was Matthew Chambers, age 34, address unspecified.

Police said a man began shooting in the parking lot and they were called to the scene by residents of the apartment complex, which is located at 6640 Akers Mill Road, near the intersection of Powers Ferry.

Police said the man was shooting at vehicles, and that officers found him at a bus stop on Akers Mill, and he pointed his gun at them. Police returned fire, according to the GBI, and the man later identified as Chambers was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Chambers was pronounced dead there, according to the GBI.

The GBI said no one else, including police, was injured during the incident, which remains under investigation.

After that is complete, the GBI report is forwarded to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office for a review.

 

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Woman pleads guilty but mentally ill in Cobb crime spree that included death of pedestrian

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A woman who went on a crime spree that included the death of a pedestrian near Bells Ferry Road two years ago has been sentenced to prison.Kristie Renee Nesby, Cobb crime spree

The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that Kristie Renee Nesby, 45, of Fresno, Texas, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison, with 20 to serve and the rest on parole.

She pleaded guilty but mentally ill last week to several felony charges, including killing Luci Turner, 71, who was struck by a car driven by Nesby.

Prosecutors said that incident came at the end what the DA’s office called a “bizarre” string of crimes by Nesby in May 2016.

Nesby, who was to go on trial next week, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to 10 charges, including homicide by vehicle, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, hit and run, aggravated assault, and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Around 5 a.m. on May 11, 2016, they said Nesby robbed the owner of a Smyrna cleaning business, then hit another vehicle while speeding on Interstate 575. Prosecutors said Nesby fled the scene, drove the wrong way on an exit ramp and hit another car.

Shortly after 6 a.m., the DA’s office said Nesby was driving on Cobb Parkway near Bells Ferry Road when her car left the road and went on a sidewalk, hitting Turner, who was walking to her job at a nearby Burger King.

Turner, who had been a teacher and a volunteer at MUST Ministries, died of her injuries at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

After that incident, prosecutors said Nesby hijacked a car driven by a female motorist on Bells Ferry Road and fled toward Interstate 75. She then hijacked a second car and robbed a woman of her cell phone, according to the DA’s office.

Prosecutors said that while driving to Atlanta Nesby called 911 and said she would take a hostage and kill the hostage and herself if police didn’t chase her with blue lights and stop her.

She crashed into several vehicles in Atlanta and tried to hijack another car before being arrested there, according to prosecutors, who said police found her in possession of two handguns.

Prosecutors said Nesby contended that among other things, a fast food employee put something in a soft drink she had ordered that caused her to hallucinate and commit the crimes.

The Cobb DA’s office enlisted the help of mental health experts who evaluated Nesby, and that prosecutors and Nesby’s attorney asked the court to find her mentally ill.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster accepted Nesby’s plea before issuing the sentence, the Cobb DA’s office said.

Nesby, who has been in the Cobb County jail since her arrest, will receive credit for time served, according to the Cobb DA’s office, which said she also will receive mental health treatment in prison.

 

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Cobb Police respond to Holly Springs Road suspicious person questions

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In the wake of arrests made earlier this week in an attempted child abduction incident off Bells Ferry Road, some social media chatter centered on an individual spotted in some East Cobb neighborhoods, in particular around Holly Springs Road and the vicinity of Pope High School.Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person

Cobb Police Lt. Nathan McCreary, who heads up criminal investigations for Precinct 4, has issued the following response to those citizens’ concerns:

The Cobb County Police Department is aware of the information that has been making rounds on social media platforms regarding a suspicious male in a black Nissan Maxima in the East Cobb area, specifically Holly Springs Road. Investigators have identified and spoken to the involved individual who was cooperative with the investigation. At this time, we have found no evidence of criminal activity associated with the vehicle or its driver.

We want to thank the citizens for their vigilance and encourage everyone to call 911 if they see a suspicious person or vehicles. Do not hesitate to use the emergency line to report any and all suspicious activity.

 

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Man convicted of raping 4-year-old girl in Delk Road apartment sentenced to 2 life terms

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A man found guilty last week of raping a 4-year-old girl at his Delk Road apartment was given two life sentences plus 120 years.Frederick Wade Sherwood, Delk Road apartment rape

Frederick Wade Sherwood, 48, was convicted Friday by a Cobb Superior Court jury of all charges, including rape, aggravated sodomy and child molestation, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

The sentence was handed down by Cobb Superior Court Judge Grant Brantley.

Prosecutors said the attacks occurred between 2014 and 2015 in Sherwood’s Delk Road apartment (according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office, his home address is listed as 2650 Delk Road, the Stratford Ridge Apartments).

Prosecutors said the girl was four years old when the assaults began, and she disclosed the abuse to family members in early 2016.

During the trial, according to the DA’s office, she clutched a stuffed animal on the witness stand, saying she initially told no one about the abuse because she feared Sherwood would be mad at her.

A male witness testified during the trial to having been sexually abused by Sherwood years before in another city.

“Any time a small child has to face their abuser in court is particularly difficult,” Cobb assistant district attorney Katie Gropper, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement.

“We are always hopeful that the judicial process is an empowering step towards healing. While we can’t undo the harm the Defendant caused to this child, the jury’s verdict will help bring a sense of justice and closure and ensure that Mr. Sherwood can never harm another child in our community.”

 

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Police: East Cobb resident a victim of a moving company scam

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Lt. Nathan McCreary of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 criminal investigations unit has sent out an alert today about a moving company scam that has claimed an East Cobb resident as a victim: Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash

A citizen hired a moving company to move his entire life’s possession to a different state. The moving company had a website and seemed reputable. Once they arrived at the home and packed the victim’s belongings, the truck left the location and never delivered the property.

The victim then received phone calls stating his property was being held ransom and he needed to pay a large sum of money in order to get his property back. Once this was reported to police, one of our amazing detectives, Det. S. Penirelli, began looking into the case.

She found that the FBI and DOT investigators are currently working similar cases involving a Russian Crime Group. She identified a suspect and found a storage company that had two units rented in the name of the suspect, who was of Russian descent. A search warrant was obtained and a portion of the victim’s property was located in a storage unit.

The same unit was scheduled to go up for auction for non-payment for the storage unit. The storage company was cooperative and allowed the property to remain at their secure location until the victim could arrange to have it removed.

Warrants were obtained for the suspect, but he is likely no longer in the state of Georgia. Detective Penirelli is currently working with the DOT investigators to find potential locations of the remaining property.

Police are also encouraging you to consult with the Better Business Bureau, which has moving scam resources. More also from the U.S. Justice Department about a recent case involving moving scammers.

 

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Ex-business partner of East Cobb man murdered in 2014 charged with homicide

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The former roommate and business partner of an East Cobb man murdered in 2014 has been arrested and charged with plotting the killing, and then conspiring to conceal it.Cobb sheriff

Ross Allyson Byrne, 55, of Woodstock, was booked on murder and other felony charges on Thursday afternoon, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

He was arrested at The Best Dang Bakery Around on Highway 92 in Woodstock and is being held without bond at the Cobb Adult Detention Center, according to jail information.

Byrne is charged with three counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and racketeering, Cobb Sheriff’s Office records show.

According to an indictment issued by a Cobb grand jury on Thursday, Byrne is accused of orchestrating the murder of Jerry Moore, who was found stabbed 32 times at his home of Holly Springs Road on Jan. 25, 2014.

Byrne’s arrest comes nearly two weeks after Johnathan Allen Wheeler was convicted of the murder in Cobb Superior Court and sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole.

Wheeler worked at the bakery, which was operated by Byrne, and where Moore had been an equal partner, according to Cobb prosecutors. They said the business had been struggling and Moore wanted to end the partnership.

According to the indictment, the “primary purpose” for murdering Moore “was to steal an interest in the business of Best Dang Bakery (or bakery) as well as other property and things of value,” forming the basis of the racketeering charge.

The indictment further states that Byrne and Moore, who opened the bakery in 2008, each held a $35,000 investment; Byrne oversaw day-to-day operations while Moore handled finances.

According to the indictment, the partnership agreement stated that in the case of the death of one of the partners, “the interest of the deceased member shall be transferred to the other surviving Member or Members.”

Jerry Moore was 46 when he was found stabbed to death at his East Cobb home in Jan. 2014. (Photo: Cobb District Attorney’s Office)

By late 2013, the indictment states, the partnership was troubled. There were disputes about how to run the business, and Moore was concerned about Byrne’s spending habits.

The indictment states that by January 2014, Moore was planning to end his business partnership with Byrne and concludes that “it is unlikely” Byrne would have been able to buy out Moore’s share of the bakery.

Moore had gone as far as to draft the terms of dissolving the partnership, according to the indictment.

By then, Wheeler was no longer working at the bakery but still had a “close relationship with Byrne, whom he considered a mentor, the indictment states.

By the first of the year in 2014, according to the indictment, Byrne moved out of the home he shared with Moore on Gracewood Drive, off Holly Springs Road and north of Post Oak Tritt Road.

The indictment alleges that Byrne plotted to have Wheeler—who was released from jail in 2010 after serving 10 years in Cobb and Cherokee for robbery and assault—commit aggravated assault, burglary and theft.

Prosecutors allege that Wheeler and Byrne were in contact before, during and after the murder. Afterward, prosecutors say, Wheeler went to Byrne’s new residence in Woodstock, where he showered and was offered a change of clothes.

Wheeler returned to Moore’s home and with his cousin, Cynthia Wheeler, cleaned up the premises and stole household items, according to prosecutors. She pleaded guilty in 2016 to those charges.

The indictment states that Byrne stole Moore’s partnership interest and as of his arrest still was the owner of the bakery.

Byrne also helped Johnathan Wheeler and Cynthia Wheeler pay bills and purchased a truck for the former that was returned, according to the indictment.

Johnathan Allen Wheeler, East Cobb murder
Johnathan Allen Wheeler

The indictment states that Byrne had been interviewed by the police shortly after the murder but denied any involvement and said nothing about Wheeler, who was arrested on Aug. 16, 2014

Byrne and Wheeler continued to stay in touch over the next four years, according to the indictment, both over the phone and in writing, and prosecutors say they have recordings of conversations between the two. The indictment also states that written correspondence from Wheeler was found in Byrne’s possession when authorities obtained a search warrant earlier this week.

The indictment didn’t detail the subject matter of that correspondence, nor did it describe the recorded conversations.

In arguments to the jury at Wheeler’s trial, Cobb assistant district attorney Jesse Evans called the murder “a relentless, sustained, malicious attack by a cold-blooded killer. . . The defendant [Wheeler] pursued, out of greed and out of malice. No human being should ever have this inflicted on them.”

 

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Mother of 4 found strangled at East Cobb home after domestic dispute

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East Cobb woman strangled
Photo: Marietta Police Department

Marietta Police say a 24-year-old woman was strangled to death at her home in the Merritt Road area early Thursday, and that they have charged a man living there with her murder.

The body of Xi-anna Graham was discovered at her home at 697 Bonnie Dell Drive around 4 a.m. Thursday, according to police, who said there had been an “ongoing domestic dispute.”

The suspect taken into custody is Christopher Gene Scarboro, 27, whom police said resided at the home with Graham and her four children.

He has been charged with felony homicide, aggravated assault and third-degree child cruelty. According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Scarboro is being held without bond.

Marietta Police said the investigation into the murder continues and that anyone with information should contact Det. Michael Selleck at 770-794-5372.

Police said anyone who’s been abused or knows someone who has should seek help immediately. Resources include contacting 1-800-33-HAVEN, as well as the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It’s available 24/7/365 in English and Spanish via website chat, phone call or text at 800-799-7233.

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Kell High School teacher indicted on five counts of student sexual assault

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A Kell High School teacher arrested earlier this summer for allegedly assaulting a student at the school has been indicted.

According to Cobb District Attorney’s office information, Spencer Wayne Herron, 48, was indicted in the past week on five counts of sexual assault of a student. Kell High School teacher indicted

Herron, who had been a video teacher at Kell for 16 years, was named the school’s teacher of the year two years ago.

Arrest warrants indicate Herron has been accused of having sex multiple times with a student on campus from early 2016 through the 2017-18 school year.

Herron was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on June 1, and remains there on a $50,000 bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

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Delk Road motel trafficking arrests: 4 charged after girl calls 911

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Marietta Police said today they’ve made four arrests for human trafficking activity they say was taking place at a motel in the Delk Road area.Marietta Police, Delk Road motel trafficking arrests

Police said they got a 911 call early Monday morning from a 15-year-old girl who said she was forced to have sex with multiple men in a room at the Days Inn (2191 Northwest Parkway). The girl said she was told she would be killed if she tried to leave, according to police.

Police said Marietta detectives rescued the girl and took out search warrants for two rooms at the Days Inn, arresting three suspects there and another at a nearby motel.

Marietta Police say the following individuals have been charged and were taken into custody at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Monday afternoon:

  • Kamari Bolden, 22, of Atlanta, trafficking;
  • Laura Waugh, 17, of Morrow, trafficking and giving a false name and date of birth;
  • Kenneth Thomas, 22, of Fairburn, keeping a place of prostitution and pimping;
  • Douglas White, 26, of Dallas, trafficking and pimping.

Bolden, Thomas and White are being held without bond and Waugh is being held on a $25,000 bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

Police said the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Marietta Police Detective Mark Erion at 770-794-5363.

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Man convicted for 2014 East Cobb murder sentenced to two life terms

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A Stockbridge man convicted for an East Cobb murder more than four years ago was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole on Monday.Johnathan Allen Wheeler, East Cobb murder

Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark issued the sentence to Johnathan Allan Wheeler Monday afternoon, not long after he was found guilty of malice murder by a jury.

Wheeler, now 35, was on trial last week for the murder of Jerry L. Moore, who was found stabbed 32 times at his home on Gracewood Drive, off Holly Springs Road, on Jan. 25, 2014.

Wheeler also was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and first-degree burglary, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

Cobb prosecutors said during the trial that Wheeler worked at a Woodstock bakery run by Moore’s roommate, Ross Byrne. Moore, who was 46 at the time of his death, was a half-owner in the business but wanted to get out, according to assistant Cobb District Attorney Jesse Evans.

Evans said during the trial that Byrne had been a business mentor to Wheeler and had moved out of Moore’s home a few weeks before the murder. After the stabbings, Evans said, Wheeler went to Byrne’s residence.

Wheeler’s cousin testified during the trial that he confessed to the murder. Cynthia Wheeler agreed to testify against Wheeler after being sentenced in 2016 for helping him clean up the home after the crime and stealing household items there.

The Cobb DA also said that Wheeler confessed to the murders to his brother and stepfather, both of whom testified at the trial.

“This was a relentless, sustained, malicious attack by a cold-blooded killer,” Evans told jurors in his closing statements  while showing them pictures at the crime scene, according to the DA’s office. “The defendant pursued, out of greed and out of malice. No human being should ever have this inflicted on them.”

Wheeler served nearly a decade in prison for robbery and assault in Cobb and Cherokee counties, and was released in 2010.

Over the last two years, Wheeler had written frequently from the Cobb County Adult Detention Center to the court in pleas for a speedy trial, according to documents filed with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s office.

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